My friend Peter has been working with the fantastic team at Kersh law firm for just over 2 years now, and it was his first position after passing the bar. Kersh law firm is a great place for new lawyers to cut their teeth and whist it has been tough on Peter he has enjoyed every minute of it. I spend my time speaking with young students and giving career advice, and Peter was kind enough to make some room in his schedule to come with me recently to a school, to talk about life as a lawyer. If you have dreams of one day working for Kersh, or any other law firm, here is what you can expect life to be like as a lawyer.
Hours and Hours
It is common knowledge that studying to become a lawyer requires gargantuan levels of effort and hard work, but this is only the half of it. Peter spoke for a long time to the kids about the incredible amount of hours which he works, especially when there is a case ongoing. Many see lawyers on the television and think that their team are doing all the hard work and that they simply stand in court and make the case to the jury. What we don’t see is the 15 hour days, the missing of events in a lawyer’s personal life and all of the sacrifice which goes with it.
Tough to Cope
Peter works in criminal law and as you can imagine he has seen and heard things which would make the average person turn away in horror. This is something which after two years with Kersh law firm he has become more used to, but he says that it never becomes normal. Cases which involve children affect him more because of the fact that he has his own young children, which is perfectly understandable. Much like doctors suffer, so too do lawyers who need to digest some truly horrific information from time to time.
Pressure
The pressure of the job is never lost on Peter and he alluded to this a lot when he was speaking with the kids. In many jobs you can make a mistake and get away with it but as a lawyer that mistake could cost someone their freedom. This adds pressure to the job which many don’t see.
Rewarding
For all of the pitfalls, the hard work and the emotional stress of the position which he holds, Peter says that this is a job which is truly rewarding and provides him with a lot of satisfaction. Ensuring that justice is served is a cornerstone of our society and whenever he wins a case and fulfills his role, there is a great amount of personal pride which he takes from that.
Being a lawyer is tough, its challenging and it is something which is not for everyone, those who can do it however can count on a huge amount of pride in the job which they do.
